100 Degree Temps on new laptop

Hi, I recently purchased a laptop from PCSpecialist to be used when working abroad.

This past week since arriving abroad the temperatures here are around 35-40 degrees centigrade everyday and when using my laptop the temps when idling are hitting 80 degrees centigrade!



However the real issue and the reason why I bought this laptop is gaming, temps easily hit 100 degrees within 15-30 minutes of gaming resulting in the game crashing/stuttering.
I can reduce the laptop to power saver mode but everything runs terrible and even then the temps are still relatively high.
Also the top left of the keyboard becomes incredibly hot and the WASD area causes discomfort when being used.

Is this an issue with the laptop or is it designed with only the intentions of using it in cold climate countries?
Right now it's looking like a complete waste of money because I can't game on it, surely the chassis and airflow should be sufficient to support warm temperatures (even the UK has some hot days).
the laptop is new with little to no use (I tested it in the UK but only started gaming on it out here).

What are my options?

Thanks in advance

Paul

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 8750H (2.2GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SX6000 PCIe M.2 2280 (1000 MB/R, 800 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 200W AC Adaptor
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (66WH)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + Sound BlasterX® Pro-Gaming 720˚
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Keyboard Language
RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days

I would phone PCS as soon as you can and talk this over with them. If you search these fora you'll find that the Defiance V does seem to have overheating issues I'm afraid (note that I don't work for PCS) and there is a BIOS update to help mitigate that.

Okay, thanks for your help, I'll give them a call ASAP.

So I've spoken to PCS and they believe they've not correctly applied thermal paste which is a surprise because I thought all products are tested first and surely this would of been spotted. Failing that then I'd need to send it back to the UK to have it checked out which is going to cost me because I'm not in the UK. There was no mention of a BIOS update as a potential fix but after looking through the forums it seemed that wasn't working for some anyway.

Roley4498 said:

So I've spoken to PCS and they believe they've not correctly applied thermal paste which is a surprise because I thought all products are tested first and surely this would of been spotted. Failing that then I'd need to send it back to the UK to have it checked out which is going to cost me because I'm not in the UK. There was no mention of a BIOS update as a potential fix but after looking through the forums it seemed that wasn't working for some anyway.

Click to expand...

I would talk to PCS again about the cost of sending it back because if they're saying it's poorly applied thermal paste then that's their fault and not yours. All PCS builds are tested AFAIK but it's still possible for it to have passed on PCS's bench and failed after extended use with you.

From what I've been reading the BIOS update undervolts the CPU which to me sounds like a workaround rather than a fix.

Although I agree with you on them paying for cost as this is clearly a mistake on their behalf they also highlighted that I only paid for 1 months cover to cover deliveries so there isn't much I can do. So I'm out of luck, it's all very unfortunate. I guess going forward with whatever the outcome is I personally won't be using PCS again.

Have you gone back to them to press the case (politely, but firmly)?

If they are inclined to agree it's a bad pasting job, that's their fault - it's not like a component failure that could not have been predicted , it's an issue with the laptop that was present when it shipped and is one of the few aspects that PCS had total control over in assembling the system. So I'm pretty sure it shouldn't take much persuading to get them to cover the shipping.

I really would suggest contacting them again, and perhaps mentioning this forum topic too - to reflect the informal advice you have had from the community, and because it publicly documents the service you are receiving.

Right now I'm not overly keen to talk to them, I've just spent in excess of £1300 on one of their products that's not fit for purpose and I'm really annoyed right now, chances are I'll probably lose it.

I'm in contact with my Wife back in the UK and when she gets the chance she'll send out some thermal paste and I'll see if I can do the work myself. Failing that then I'll probably fly home when I get the chance and have to posted back to them then (it'll cost me a small fortune to send back from out here due to the insurance of then package).

But thanks for the advice.

You might also want to point them at the forums more generally, as there is a lot of talk - mostly very dissatisfied around both temperatures and throttling.

So a quick update, I spoke to PCS and they're sending out some thermal paste too (their recommendation as a way of fixing my problem) so I can attempt to fix my "NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE" laptop.

Now I was wondering if this doesn't work (I'm not overly confident after seeing other forum issues) will I be entitled to a full refund because I've been looking at my consumer rights (because it's £1300 of my money currently going to waste) and I read the following

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Repair or replace
If you are outside the 30-day right to reject, you have to give the retailer one opportunity to repair (Me applying thermal paste at their recommendation as a way to fix it) or replace any goods or digital content which are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described.

You can state your preference, but the retailer can normally choose whichever would be cheapest or easier for it to do.

If the attempt at a repair or replacement is unsuccessful, you can then claim a refund or a price reduction if you wish to keep the product.

You're entitled to a full or partial refund instead of a repair or replacement if any of the following are true:

the cost of the repair or replacement is disproportionate to the value of the goods or digital content
a repair or replacement is impossible
a repair or replacement would cause you significant inconvenience
the repair would take an unreasonably long amount of time.
If a repair or replacement is not possible, or the attempt at repair fails, or the first replacement also turns out to be defective, you have a further right to receive a refund of up to 100% of the price you paid, or to reject the goods for a full refund.

Use our step-by-step guide if you want to ask a retailer to repair or replace something you've bought that subsequently develops a fault.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

In your position I would ask PCS if they will agree to refund should the issue remain unresolved or should you remain unsatisfied after you attempt a repaste - by email so you get a reply in writing. Though do chase up with a call too to kamake sure the email gets a speedy reply.

For detailed consumer rights advice, I'd suggest the CAB. Though at a glance you might have already checked it out?

Just a quick update, today I received the thermal paste to attempt to fix the overheating issue myself. Unfortunately when removing the screws from the back of the chassis one screw was inserted so tight that in an a big effort to remove it the thread was damaged and I am now unable to get inside to attempt to fix the issue.

I've contacted PCS and unfortunately my only option now is to send the laptop back to the UK costing me X amount of money.

I'll now be without any fo

So this should be my final update.

I received my new laptop today, I paid a little more to get a better chassis. I now have the Octane V and I highly recommend it, far better build quality and no issues so far.

That's very good to hear.

Real shame about the path that took you there, but it's great that you have a solid and stable stable system that you're happy with.